We know a lot of you are eager to get your first pair of Loubs and you want to know what size to order. Of course, my first response would be to go into a store that carries them such as the Christian Louboutin store, or Neiman Marcus, Saks, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, etc.

Many of you may not live near any of the above stores so trying them on before buying is unfortunately not an option. It’s ok I’ll do my best to guide you through and see if I’m of any help.

Size is a complicated thing. Your foot has 3 dimensions and it’s hard to pinpoint a certain size to someone without really knowing what their foot really looks like. Let’s take mine for example. I’m a US size 9. Pretty standard, not too wide, not too narrow, and it’s consistent with most pairs I buy, no matter what the designer (I’m referring to US designers btw). Now, once I step out of the US market and I get into Italian or UK sizes, things change.

It all depends on each designer. Some designers’ shoes run small, some big, and others true to size. To the right you will see the International Chart Of Women’s Shoe Sizes. As you can see my size (size 9) ranges anywhere from 39-40. I have shoes ranging literally anywhere from 38.5-41.5 when it comes to Christian Louboutin shoes. Go figure! I’ll explain how and why!

When deciding which size you want to get in a particular pair of Louboutins, always keep in mind that Christian Louboutin runs small. I’m almost always a size 40 in them. There are instances that I’ll get a size 39 (usually on sandals that are open in the front, or on the sides). Shoes that are open like that give my foot a lot of room and space and so I don’t need to go for size 40 which I normally would get if I was getting let’s say pumps or booties. Any type of shoe that wraps around my foot and there’s no open space anywhere needs to definitely be size 40. Sometimes 39.5 works too. It just means it’ll be a pain to break them in for a bit, but then they’ll be fine.

So if you are let’s say a size US 7. I would recommend that you do at least a 37.5 or 38 in closed toe shoes; pumps; boots, etc. Peep toe is the same as a pump btw. Just because it has that tiny peep hole on the front it doesn’t mean it’s more roomy than the other pumps Louboutin makes. Now when it comes to boots, I don’t know who they use as a model for calf measurements but Jesus, they make these boots so tight around the calves that it hurts. So when it comes to tall boots I usually get a size 41. Cuz I just refuse to walk around with my legs all tight and in pain. I have gotten size 40 before too (last pair available and I just had to get the shoe) but then I had them stretched. So if you are buying boots go even bigger than usual due to your calves. Unless you are tiny, with tiny legs and well I hate you! You lucky b..LOL!

I blab a lot so I literally have to re read what I just wrote to remind myself what I missed and have to cover. Let’s see…Oh! Here’s another thing. If you have long toes (guilty as charged) you most def need to lean towards the 1 size bigger in Louboutins. If you wear anything closed toe and you didn’t buy a size bigger your toes will be in pain. Warning you now.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you buy patent leather or leather shoes in general which most of Christian Louboutin shoes are, they stretch over time! So if you plan on wearing the shoe often, and I mean OFTEN, go for half a size bigger not one whole size bigger. Ex: if you are size US 7 go for 37.5 in Loubs; if you get 38 you will be fine in the beginning but by the 7th time wearing them, your foot will slide in and out of the shoe in the back. They stretch and it’s annoying to walk in them afterwards. So it’s better to suffer a bit till you stretch the 37.5 one then to walk around like you borrowed big shoes from your friend (that’s an Albanian expression and I tried to translate in English but don’t know if you quite got it hahaha).

As for myself like I mentioned earlier I literally have shoes ranging from 38.5-41.5. 38.5 being the super open sandals with basically just a few straps around the foot, and 41.5 being the really high boots that my calves just couldn’t fit in the 40 or 41.

If you come across a shoe you absolutely love but they don’t have your size, but only the next size up, depending on the style of the shoe you can go for it. For example, my Christian Louboutin Isolde 160mm that came out for the 20th anniversary, are a size 41. Normally I would never buy pumps in size 41. But because it has 7 straps all around the ankle and the top of my foot, it is OK. The shoe is safely strapped around my foot and it won’t go anywhere. So keep that in mind when you come across a strappy shoe you want but the only size that’s available is one up from yours. This can work with boots too.

Don’t buy small shoes that you know won’t fit you, just because you love the shoe. I’ve done that plenty and it’s no fun. I end up rarely ever wearing the shoe. But I’m an addict so that’s a whole different story. Stick to your size. All you’re going to end up doing is ruining your toes. And well…you know how men feel about women and their toes (not all of course. But mine likes them neat so I have to keep that in mind every now and then).

When it comes to Pigalles and So Kate’s which are Louboutin’s most popular styles, go half a size smaller, or even a whole size. So in Louboutins I’m usually a size 40. But in Pigalles or So Kates I like to go 39.5, esp when the heel is 120mm. The 100mm you could rock even on your regular size, but the 120mm heel will create a bigger arch on your foot since the heel is higher, which means your weight will be solely on your toes. When that happens, it will slide your foot all the way to the tip of the shoe, leaving this way a big gap in the back. That will make it hard to walk. So if you go half a size smaller this will take care of that issue. But I say it’s ok to buy your size in 100mm because it’s not that high of a heel so your foot won’t necessarily slide too far in the front. Hope I made any sense. If not, just comment and I’ll try to explain it better.

And lastly, no matter what, just remember that you can always return them if they don’t fit. Just make sure to not wear them out and scratch the bottom. If you buy them on eBay that’s another story. But I say stick to certified sites that have good customer service.

UPDATE:It’s been two years since I wrote this, and Louboutin has made changes to the Pigalle and the So Kate style. The Pigalle heel is now more true to size. I’m a US size 9 and I now buy Pigalles in size 40, whereas before I would almost always get them in 39.5 and sometimes even 39. So make sure you remember that they have changed the sizing a bit and are now more true to size. As for So Kate’s, I would recommend getting your usual size as well. I have older models of So Kate’s that are 39.5 and they fit great, but the newer ones I had to exchange for 40 because they were simply too tight.